Let’s start recognizing individuals who influence us in a tangible manner. Over the past year, I’ve actively created a social brand beyond Facebook and have connected with a variety of individuals – many of whom I’ve never met. But while I’m finally developing a rapport with my Twitter followers and LinkedIn connections (at least according to Klout – a social influence ranking site), my social profile doesn’t capture the people who really move the needle for me. You see, most connections on social networks provide me with intangible benefits – general knowledge and information shared through insights and, of course, links.

Intangible certainly doesn’t mean inconsequential. When Brad Feld shares an article, I read it. And when Shaq tweets about a new company (see: Tout), people check it out. But are these actions tangible to my day-to-day life? I’d like to factor and weigh depth of influence more heavily than the number of followers, retweets, and mentions. My influencers – those who make introductions to key individuals or companies, provide thoughtful feedback, or help advance my status quo – should receive infinite points for how they have moved the needle for me (see: PBOD). Similarly, my offline influence of advising companies, networking, career guidance, etc. are more valuable than my tweets. Are current metrics actually just smoke and mirrors? I’m not discounting the power of the network, as I rely on Linkedin for introductions and Twitter for awareness. But to appropriately measure clout, we should document tangible impact from our network.